I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

The servant, who had been bending over, straightened up.

Her submissive, servant-like demeanor vanished instantly, revealing her true power.

But she stood tall and straight, with sharp eyes, giving the impression of someone in a high position.

Gu Zhiyi stood up from behind the desk, walked slowly to her, and curtsied.

"Master, why did you come all of a sudden?"

The middle-aged woman was Gu Zhiyi's master.

She is known in the martial arts world as Aunt Mei.

He looks to be in his forties, but he is actually quite old.

She had worked as a court lady in the Imperial Music Bureau in the capital in her early years. Later, she disappeared from public view.

When he reappeared, he became the unassuming person behind Gu Zhiyi.

She scanned the room, her gaze finally settling on Gu Zhiyi's face.

"Prince Li Jinghuan of Jin has sent a visiting card, requesting a meeting. Take a look."

She took out a gold-embossed invitation and handed it to her.

Gu Zhiyi took it, but didn't open it immediately. She just turned it over in her hand and glanced at the sealing wax stamp.

It has a "Jin" character seal on it, and the craftsmanship is exquisite, so it must be from a royal palace.

"Master, have you confirmed that you haven't opened it? If you have, then I'll open it and take a look."

Anita Mui nodded: "It's confirmed."

Gu Zhiyi opened it, glanced at it, and then put it back on the table.

"Master, I saw the invitation. If it's alright, let him come to the door. But if he wants me to go out to see him, his current status is not enough."

Mei Gu frowned.

"Nonsense, do you know how important this person's identity is to us? The connections he has in the capital are far more numerous than you can imagine."

Gu Zhiyi remained unmoved and sat back down in her chair.

"Master, he's not the only heir in the city; there's also the heir of the Prince of Zhao. There are plenty of nobles of the same rank in the capital, and many also travel to Hengyang County from the south and north."

"Am I supposed to personally meet every single one of them who comes? What use would all the reputation I've built up over the years be? How can I expect people to come to see me with a minimum payment of a hundred taels of silver in the future?"

Anita Mui's expression darkened, and she raised her voice.

"You need to understand your place. Making money is important, but it's not the most important thing. What truly matters to you is your mission."

Mei lowered her voice again.

"Who is the Prince of Jin? He has been operating in secret ever since the current emperor ascended the throne. Now that the Prince of Jin's heir is suddenly traveling around, do you think he's here for sightseeing? This trip to Hengyang must be related to that matter."

Gu Zhiyi tapped her finger on the table a few times.

"Master, do you mean we have to get involved in this mess?"

"The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish." Anita Mui's tone was firm and left no room for doubt.

"A quiet and peaceful court is of no benefit to us. Only when the waters are murky can we fish in it."

She paused, glanced at Gu Zhiyi, and her eyes held a deeper meaning.

"You said you'd consider it with the Prince of Jin's heir, but I haven't seen you consider Xiao Mingyuan and Xu Qing at all. You're practically throwing yourself at them. What? Could it be that you've fallen for those two lads?"

Gu Zhiyi's hand, which was resting on the table, tightened suddenly, and she smiled softly.

"Master, you misunderstand. I simply admire their talent. Xiao Mingyuan can produce a poem like 'The Song of the Pipa,' and Xu Qing can pinpoint the emotions hidden within it. Such people are rare in Hengyang City, so it's normal for me to pay more attention to them."

"Hmph, you'd better really only pay attention to a few points."

"Master, how much longer do we have to stay in Hengyang County?" Gu Zhiyi changed the subject and asked.

"How long? It's still a long way off! Our biggest mission is still nowhere in sight. Hengyang County is a major transportation hub, good for gathering information; all sorts of political information might be useful to us."

"But we haven't found any information whatsoever that you most want. Master, is the treasure you mentioned really nearby?"

Mei Gu turned around and stared at the sky with a distant gaze.

"A hundred years ago, my great-grandfather led the Great Yan army in a decisive battle against the pseudo-Liang regime nearby. Although he was defeated, he left behind the seeds of restoration. If those treasures can see the light of day again, it will make our Great Yan's restoration plan even more successful."

When Gu Zhiyi heard her master mention the restoration of the kingdom again, she wished she could shut her ears.

She'd heard this story so many times she was practically sick of it.

The masters have persisted for four generations, but now their hopes are dwindling.

However, since the matter of restoring the country had been brought up, a glint of light flashed in Gu Zhiyi's eyes.

She cleared her throat and said in a deliberately solemn tone.

"Master, actually, I approached Xiao Mingyuan because of the treasure. As the largest merchant family in Hengyang County, the Xiao family has many sources of information, so perhaps they can make some discoveries."

"Really? You'd better be." Anita Mui pouted.

"Make sure you're ready for the meeting." Mei Gu said this, then turned and pushed open the door.

Once outside, her back bent again, her steps became unsteady, and she picked up the empty tea tray with humble eyes and walked away down the corridor.

Gu Zhiyi stood by the window, watching the figure disappear around the corner of the corridor through the gap in the bamboo curtain, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

He picked up the visiting card from the table, casually slipped it into a book, and didn't even glance at it.

……

……

Meanwhile, the scene in the Song family courtyard was quite different.

Song Yao was squatting by the well, washing a piece of clothing.

The well water was icy cold, and her fingers turned slightly red from being soaked, but she washed them very carefully, even scrubbing the edges of her collar three times.

Just then, the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open.

Song Yao looked up and immediately frowned.

The person who arrived was Ms. Qian. She was followed by two unfamiliar men.

Both men were dressed in ordinary short-sleeved shirts, and looked like idle thugs or loafers.

Song Yao put down the clothes in her hand, stood up, and naturally moved towards the woodpile behind her.

When she reached the woodpile, she grabbed the axe used for chopping wood.

The axe flashed with a cold light, and the three men who had entered immediately froze on the spot.

After a moment of surprise, Ms. Qian quickly resumed her loud voice.

However, she just stood at the door and didn't dare to go inside.

"Yaoyao, don't misunderstand. I didn't come here to break you up. I just came to tell you something."

Song Yao frowned.

"What do you want to say?"

Qian took two and a half steps forward, lowering her voice. A fake smile was on her face.

"Yaoyao, your fiancé Xu Qing went to Chunhong Courtyard today. That's a brothel. He's only just made a little money and he's already infatuated with those women. How will he live his life in the future? If you don't keep an eye on him, he might throw away all his savings."

The two men behind him added fuel to the fire.

"That's right, that's right, we saw it with our own eyes. He went in with that fat Xiao guy, arm in arm, and we heard he even went into the courtesan's boudoir. That place costs a hundred taels of silver per visit."

"That's not a place for ordinary people to go. Young lady, you'd better keep a close eye on things."

After listening to their words, Song Yao's expression didn't change at all.

She put the axe back, dusted off her hands, and squatted down again to wash clothes.

Water splashed on her face, but she simply wiped it away.

Ms. Qian was somewhat puzzled. "Yaoyao, what do you mean? You really don't plan to get involved?"